Interconnected drapery carrier systems of the type having a plurality of drapery carriers attached at spaced locations along a flexible member are known. The drapery carriers have drapery mounting means thereon adapted for attachment to a drapery at spaced locations along the drapery heading and the lead or spacing between the carriers along the flexible member is selected to be less than the spacing of the carriers along the drapery heading so that the flexible string controls the spacing between the carriers when the drapery is closed to produce generally uniform pleats in the drapery. When such drapery carrier systems are utilized on traverse rods, one end of the string is connected to the master carrier so that the master carrier draws the string of interconnected carriers along the rod when it is moved to a position to close the drapes.
In the traverse rod assembly shown in the applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,696, issued Sept. 26, 1972, it was necessary to connect the carrier at one end of the string of carriers to the master slide before the master slide was mounted on the rod and hence before the rod was installed on the ceiling or wall above a window. However, the interconnected drapery carrier systems are available in strings with different carrier lead or spacing to vary the fullness of the drapery when drawn. The prior traverse rod construction made it necessary to select the desired lead of the drapery carriers prior to installation of the rod and it was not practical to delay this selection until a later date when the draperies were made and installed. In addition, the prior traverse rod construction made it difficult to replace the interconnected carrier system when the string broke or became worn since it was necessary to remove both the stringed carriers and the master carrier from the rod and then attach the end of the stringed carrier to the master carrier and finally reassemble the master carrier on the rod and thread the stringed carriers into the rod. Moreover, it is frequently awkward and inconvenient to attach the draperies to the carriers on an installed rod. It has been found that the installation of the draperies can be markedly facilitated if the interconnected drapery carriers are first attached to the drapery heading and the interconnected carrier system thereafter inserted into the rod.